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The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity. ~ William Butler Yeats

Do politicians ever think of the kind of life the average Ghanaian 'worker' lives? Not even the unemployed - the one who has a job -- any kind of job. Take the mother who operates a small table-top 'shop' or any mother who buys and sells, micro scale -- hours upon hours a day, rain or shine, with a baby tied to her spine.

She does so giving 24-hour care to her toddler; if she's lucky her 8-year-old daughter may come and help her out, while she takes time off to cook for other members of the family and back to selling; in the heat, fighting off flies amid the fumes and vrooms of modernity.

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85 million barrels of oil is supplied everyday across the globe. Ghana hopes to add an additional 120,000 barrels a day to this number - pretty modest by any stretch of expectation. For the next 10 years, revenue accruing to the state from oil production may not go beyond $5 billion. We, therefore, need to be very very wise in how we use the oil revenue in a way that it will open other potential areas of wealth for us rather than using it to cure all our social ills. The key is identifying a few winnable growth pillars and supporting them with resources.

As I write, after a whole year’s national road show and countless verbal assurances from the President that Govt will use oil revenues responsibly there is very little detailed indication of that. Responsible usage should not be viewed only through the cloudy vortex of transparency but by which specific programmes or projects those revenues will be spent on. Our revenues can be transparently wasted.

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Ghana’s Deputy Attorney-General recently introduced an element of footsoldierism to the courts by announcing on radio that the presiding judge in the murder case involving the 2002 killing of the King of Dagbon, Ya-Naa Andani II, was bias. With that he has succeeded in getting the judge to excuse (or recuse) himself from the case. So with this background, what frame of mind is the next judge expected to be in?

In the words of the judge at the centre of it, “I have felt insulted, scandalised and indeed bastardised all in the name of the Attorney-General’s office attempt to play politics with the Bench in general and with me in particular.” Strong, damning words from the Bench to Government’s top legal officer.

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Good morning, it is a great pleasure and honor to be given this very important platform to share my views on the emerging oil and gas industry in Ghana. Let me acknowledge our managing Director Mr. Ibrahim Awal for his leadership and foresight and also the privilege of being on the platform of the second Graphic Round Table Conference with Prince Amoabeng, our most respected CEO and entrepreneur par excellence. more >>>